FGV program takes EBAPE student to Sorbonne, in Paris

The Paris Cultural Programme - IV Sorbonne selected 18 undergraduate students of Fundação Getulio Vargas to visit one of the most important universities in the world: the Université Paris-Sorbonne, in France. Among them was Júlia de Almeida Machado, student of 5th semester of the Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration (EBAPE) - who spent a month and a half in Paris earlier this year. During this period, she and her colleagues had lessons in French with professors of Sorbonne, and learn more about French culture.

"The chance to travel to France and study at the Université Paris-Sorbonne, one of the most prestigious universities in Europe, was certainly a proof that I made the right choice. Walking through its corridors, courtyards and finding such a heterogeneous mix of students and scholars from all over the world was a really lovely experience," she said. According to Júlia, the greatest difficulty was to maintain the required dedication of the French language studies with the academic studies.

"You have to combine them evenly. Leaving the comfort zone, studying a language for the first time in an intensive and disciplined manner, and then, spending six weeks immersed in habits, histories, values and a culture different from Brazil opens new windows to what we understand as worldview," she explained.

The Paris Cultural Programme - IV Sorbonne

The FGV/Paris Program - IV Sorbonne is aimed to all FGV's undergraduate students and the selection process takes place in November. However, in January of the previous year before the trip a two-semester preparation begins: the first, with classes aimed at those interested in learning French; and from the second, the classes also include an introduction to Human Sciences and Arts.

The training is aimed at both beginners and advanced French students, interested or not in participating in the program. Thus, it involves all FGV schools in Rio and São Paulo (EPGE, CPDOC, Direito Rio, EBAPE, EMAp, EAESP, EESP, and Direito SP).

The course requires a 75% attendance and it counts as an elective in the curriculum of every School. Evaluations are held at the end of each module: in June, the grammar test, in November, the oral and written tests.